Sura of Britain

When the visage of my friend Sura comes to collect itself from memories in my mind, immediately following all coherency of thought, arrive the words of 'equestrienne' and 'princess' in cadence. To me is she the fair princess royal of a vast, distant & ethereal island. With her noble countenance of an english rose perennially gracing the finest fashions and always attending only the most lavish of renowned soirées. Sura's character is my story's analog of Peter's very own Princess Tiger Lily & this article that follows you now is a brief detail of her historical equestrian origins.

AVANT - How did you begin your equestrian lifestyle? How old were you when you first began? Did you have any influences like relatives or friends?

Sura - I began riding when I was about 6 or 7. My mum hated it- she thought it was too dangerous. But me and my friend really wanted to start riding so we moaned until we got our own way. The first riding school I went to was called Spring Paddock.

AVANT - How often would you ride horses when you first started? How long did it take for you to become proficient at riding?

Sura - Hmm.. well I had a few breaks in between riding. I had lessons every week until I was about 12 or 13. My friend then got a horse, Heinz, so I stopped lessons and just borrowed him. Then didn't ride again until I was 19. I think I am a better rider now than when I was younger, but I don't have the confidence that I had then. As you get older you start to realise that horses have a mind of their own and are in fact pretty dangerous....

AVANT - How often do you ride now?

Sura - Well, I was riding every week with the University of Manchester team but then I finished my degree in May. So since then I've been trying to find another good riding school to go to! It's difficult trying to find one near the city centre though for obvious reasons. I've probably only ridden 3 or 4 times in the past 9 months. I really miss it!

AVANT - What do you typically wear whenever you ride?

Sura - I normally wear jodhpurs, ankle riding boots, a polo shirt, and a helmet! Sometimes a body protector if I'm jumping.

AVANT - How did you feel when you first started riding? How does it feel now that you are more of an experienced veteran?

Sura - To be completely honest I can't remember much about when I started riding, all I know is that I loved it and wanted to get everything to do with horses and riding! Stickers, t-shirts, magazines, pencil cases etc etc. I wrote 'pony' on my christmas list every year until I was 10. Riding is still as enjoyable now as it was then, you can't get bored of it.

AVANT - Any advice to those who may wish to get started? Secret techniques to calm a horse or earn a horse's trust?

Sura - I'd just say the most important thing is to relax and be confident. Horses can sense fear, which in turn makes them scared. They need their rider to let them know everything is ok.

AVANT - How does one befriend a horse & earn it's trust & obedience?

Sura - At the school I have ridden at for the past few years you are on a different horse every week, so it's a little difficult to gain trust. However, being patient and giving them attention such as a good pat if they jumped well and plenty of grooming afterwards are good ways for a horse to get to know it's rider. In terms of obedience, it's the confidence thing again, the horse has to know that you are the one in control.

AVANT - What is the longest that you can ride now?

Sura - I tend to only ride for an hour at a time if I'm in a paddock. After an hour your attention wades a bit and you get a bit lazy which results in a confused horse. If I'm on a hack, sometimes we ride for 4 hours. But it can get a bit much. A couple hours is perfect.

AVANT - Have you ever entered any competitions?

Sura - No, it's never appealed to me. I like to go riding for pleasure, and the thought of a competition just stresses me out! We had a couple of competitions for our class, just as a bit of fun, but I was so nervous!

AVANT - Do you have your own personal horse?

Sura - My favourite horse at my old school was a tiny white pony called Lightning. She was so small and I was definitely too tall for her but she was a great jumper and very reliable!

AVANT - If you could have a dream horse, what would it be? What color eyes & mane, what gender & what would you name him/her?

Sura - A palomino!!! They have always been my favourite horse! I even have a plastic one on the shelf next to my bed that I've had since I was little. A palomino has golden hair, with a white mane and tail and they are beautiful! I would want it to be a girl and be called Bamboo (there was a TV show in the 60's about a palomino horse called Mr. Ed - whose real name was Bamboo Harvester).

AVANT - Do you ever have dreams of riding unicorns?

Sura - erm.. YES! That would be pretty cool. I'm currently reading a book at the moment actually called, 'The Natural History of Unicorns'.

AVANT - What do you think of pegasus'? Winged horses. Would you own one? Or do you find them frightening?

Sura - I'd definitely own one!! Not sure how I'd prevent it from flying away though...

AVANT - What terrains have you ridden horses? Mountain forests? Sandy beaches? Or controlled situations like indoor establishments?

Sura - Mainly indoor arenas and outdoor paddocks - this is the only way to really learn how to ride properly. But I love hacking out, through woods and open fields! I haven't ridden on the beach but I'd love to. The closest I've come to that was riding a palomino through Crete.

P.S.

Earlier this year, Sura & I made a promise to draw each other's favorite animal in our respective visions & artistic stylings.  I painted her a seahorse & a real wild horse in watercolor.  Today.  Tuesday.  March 23rd, 2010-- I receive her end of our promise!

Laura of California

Above: Laura Taylor by Kyle Johnson, December 2008

Once upon a time we were on the same level. But we're not anymore. We haven't been for a long time. You wanna know what happened? She braved the world & made it her own a thousand times over. She explored. She risked. She dared. She loved. She lost. She hurt. She cried. Everything. She pursued each & every single dream she ever had or wanted. She's gone to Egypt & lived there for a few months as an assistant to archaeologists. Been on the road & trekked all over The United States of America, on tour with rock 'n roll bands. Hell, I don't even doubt if she's fallen in love with one or two or maybe even more than a few. I wonder what great loves she has known during her life journeys. She's lived in Brooklyn, worked as an intern/assistant/stylist for a roster of fashion designers, media publications & photographers in the greater city of Manhattan, experienced working behind-the-scenes at Bryant Park Fashion week, been to The Siren Fest at Coney Island & rode The Cyclone-- I know, we went on it together & I even have the overpriced photograph that you could get at the end once the ride was over as a souvenir of that day. She currently lives in Los Angeles right now where it's ethereal sunshine summertime beauty year round. She grew to become a woman. Whereas I stayed behind in New York, still living at home with my family & remained a boy. I really do feel like I am Rufio of Neverland & she grew up. I am not sad that she grew up, though. No. What I am sad about is that direct side-effect of her growing out of me. We grew apart. Once upon a time we shared the same world. Now we reside in our respective galaxies. I still keep in touch with her though, every now & again. Corresponding with her from my Eastern Throne to her Western Pedestal. Her name is Laura Taylor & photography is her passion.

Below: Laura Taylor by Jessica Gary for Seychelles Footwear

Websites:

http://www.thedarlinglife.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thedarlinglife/

http://laurataylor.tumblr.com/

Contact:

thedarlinglifephoto@gmail.com

*BONUS FUN FACT*

Laura starred as the leading role in the music video for indie rock band The Little Heroes' song, "Thank You"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LSSFyDX8qo

Below: Photographs by Laura Taylor

Evan of Red

So my younger brother's got a hobby as most younger brothers do & his favorite past-time is skateboarding. His name is Evan & he's actually freakishly good-- freakishly good enough to be sponsored. Read on for his skating origin & personal biography.

AVANT - How long have you been skating?

Evan - Uh, well... I started freshman year and so that's what... like, 5 years? 5 or 6 maybe. I dunno, yeah, something like that. I'm gonna comb my hair. Take a shower.

Evan leaves the room & walks to the bathroom...

"YO! Where da comb at?!", his frustrated voice is heard faintly from the distance.

AVANT - Why did you start skating?

Evan - Well I first had a tech deck & uh... I was tech decking in school & stuff like on one of the first days and one of my friends Nabi asked me if I skated but I didn't really. I lied to him and he asked me if I could do all these different tricks and I lied to him and I said, "Yeah"-- but I really didn't. So I took my brother's skateboard that I think was originally mine and I practiced for like 4 days straight like in the basement and outside. And so when they invited me to go skate I looked like I could kind of do the tricks. So I was like "Yeah I can kinda do 'em" when really I didn't know how. And from there I just stuck with it cos those were my first friends I made in high school & they all skated so I just ended up sticking with it.

Above: Evan skating with Nabi, executing their trademark Crono Trigger inspired Dual-Tech 'X-Slash' maneuver.

AVANT - What do you love about skating?

Evan - When you're skating it's like nothing... there's no problems in the world cos you kind of only like think of skateboarding and you don't worry about school or anything. You just worry about skating and eating and that's cool.

AVANT - Do you have a skateboarding crew?

Evan - Yup! It's called Battery Powered, I think... or Hahafuntime, I don't know. We have a lot of names now. A lot of people call us either BP or Hahafuntime. We're also making a new video too called, "Be Pretty." So check it out! It's gonna be coming out soon hopefully. Hopefully this year.

AVANT - Who films your crew's parts?

Evan - Uh, mostly Esteban sometimes Dom sometimes my friend Jason.

AVANT - So your filmer friend also edits the videos or do you have another editor friend?

Evan - Uh well I think like yeah, whoever films it usually edits it. All 3 filmers edit pretty much.

Below: (l to r) Nabi, Dom, Jon, Elijah & Evan

-- the lurker in the background of stage left is the youngest (& most annoying) character of Battery Powered's rogue gallery, Marcello.

AVANT - Do you have any videos on Youtube?

Evan - Yeah I kinda have a couple. I have like, I think 3 pages. You type my name, you'll see three pages of stuff. *Bonz laughs amusingly to himself & confesses* Sometimes whenever I'm bored I search myself on Youtube to see if there's some stuff & there is.

AVANT - What video of yourself do you recommend people to start off with first?

Evan - I dunno just watch it in whatever order they see it in. They're all pretty bad because they're all stuff that I don't want to use for video stuff. So there's just a bunch of funny videos and throwaway footage. But there's trick tips on stuff if you wanna learn. I think like a Borja Bird a trick I made up when I was young & a 360 ollie... There's also animation I made and all this type of stuff.

AVANT - Are you sponsored?

Evan - Yeah. I'm sponsored by Mishka clothing.

AVANT - What are your go-to tricks?

Evan - Go to tricks? Like grinds? Or just like flip tricks?

AVANT - Flip tricks.

Evan - I guess 360 big spin & nollie inward heel.

AVANT - Grinds?

Evan - Grinds like tailslides & back smith.

AVANT - What are your worst injuries?

Evan - Uh, I rolled my ankle when I was like uh.. erm.. junior, when I was a junior in high school. I rolled my left foot trying to pop shove Bayside Ten. Then like last year, yeah last year, I rolled my right foot trying to do a tailslide 270 out on a ledge to a sidewalk gap. And my foot landed on the corner of the sidewalk & turned completely sideways.

AVANT - Tricks you want to learn.

Evan - Impossibles.. um, and back smith front bigspin.

AVANT - Who are your favorite skaters?

Evan - Easy! Dylan Reider & David Gonzalez!

AVANT - How would you describe your skating style?

Evan - Skating style.. oh man, I dunno.. I guess it's like kinda.. I dunno, I just skate however I feel like is comfortable to me. But it doesn't really look like anything or anybody else's so it's kinda different I guess.

AVANT - What clothes do you wear when you skate? Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter?

Evan - Spring? Usually just like a t-shirt or like a hoodie. Some pants. Summer.. I wear like thin shoes & dirty clothes. Something that I don't care that gets sweaty or wet. Cos normally I'll take a bath at a bathroom or fountain. I'll take like a spongebath. Fall? I'll just wear like a hoodie, a light jacket and then... uhm.. pants. And then in the Winter, it's GOTTA be BLACK. ALL BLACK. I'm Goth in The Winter.

AVANT - What are your other hobbies besides skating?

Evan - Animating is my passion, I go to school at SVA-- it's in the city. I'm currently working on several animation projects right now. Some for school & some are for commission like this guy my brother hooked me up with. I play guitar, piano, bass and Beatles Rockband & Band Hero when I get bored of real instruments. I got a pet dog, too. Her name's Sabél. She's dumb cute. We call her Tabie-Baby, though. Oh yeah, and I hang out with my girlfriend a lot, too.

AVANT - Have you ever competed in any skating events?

Evan - Yeah. I try. I'm not that good. I've won. I got like 3rd place at like a Globe Contest. And like, that's probably the best thing I've ever done.

*UGH! Look at this! I got like dead ass dreads! Dead ass knots!* he exclaims as he combs his long jetblack Tony Jaa from Ong Bak 2 bad ass tribal Polynesian Filipino young warrior hair.

Below: Tony Jaa - Ong Bak 2 movie poster

AVANT - How often do you go skating?

Evan - In the winter? Pretty much never. Like once a week. But luckily, I got the Borjons, an underground parking lot that I can skate at night & whenever it rains. And in the summer, pretty much every day. Fall & spring, weekends or after school.

AVANT - Do you skate street or vert, both or one more than the other?

Evan - I skate street. Vert is like for people who have skateparks and there's like no skateparks in New York.

Wolf of Astoria

My close friend of ten years, Johnny Wolf is a professional photographer & just last year, a newly christened vegan who currently hails from Astoria, Queens. If his videogame was an RPG, he's already on Disk 3 at Level 100.  If you don't believe me, peep it for yourself & be jealous that you're not as ill as him.

http://www.jwolfphoto.com

C'mon. Click the link. I dare you.

Your confidence depends on it.

Once upon a time, Wolf here lead the boring, heartless, drab, mundane, meaningless, depressing, robotic lifestyle of an automatonlike suit.  He was an accountant living a safe life of reassurance & stability.  He got paid & he got paid well.  He lived in a pretty bad ass apartment in Midtown Manhattan.

As his bright days of a rookie suit progressed, Wolf soon learned that it didn't take long for the hours to drag on in darkened gloom.  All of his life efforts culminated to this moment.  He had finally obtained the comfortable life of his heart's paramount desires.  All he had to do was sell his own soul to get it.  Swiftly losing heart with his profession & feeling trapped in his then-present situation, Wolf got so depressed that he began a one-way embarkation towards Weakville.  Wolf knew a heavily sedentary lifestyle both in the cubicle & his comfortable apartment.  As time passed, he grew to become creep status introverted with his newfound anti-social lifestyle choice with the added deluxe bonus features of becoming Super Size Me fat, loser kid gross & all around pathetic.

However... that all turned around for him.  When, during the month of November in 2008, Wolf was laid off from his job all thanks to America's then & still current recession.  He decided to finally pursue the sparkling thought that he always entertained in the back of his mind.  Hidden deep within the recesses of his mind was the tough, unrelenting artist whose main focus were adventure, being creative & having the kind of fun that young souls are meant to live.  Young souls don't live to work.  Young souls work to live!  Freshly unemployed & reaping his weekly unemployment checks, "Now... how to make that money...", was the nagging forefront of Wolf's consciousness.  How, indeed!

Wolf practiced & honed his skills in the hermitage of his old bedroom in his parent's house.  'Cause he had to move back home since he no longer had that accountant money to fund his Midtown Manhattan apartment's demanding living expenses.  Self-motivated as all leaders & captains of industry must be, Wolf endlessly self-taught himself how to efficiently use the computer software program that is Adobe Photoshop.  He eventually became amateurly proficient at it & began to land amateur gigs like assistant wedding photographer & editing digital photography for other people.  Wolf never gave up and his persistence was rewarded through the rise of kaleidoscopic opportunities that lead to another then to the next and onwards to new ventures & prospects.  Just recently, he had a photoshoot with Paris Hilton.  Yeah, I know.  I'm serious.  Go to the "CELEBRITY" page on his website, already!  As for Wolf's previously acquired accountant weight issues, Wolf adopted the strict, disciplined indie rock diet of vegan-ism.  He lost 40 pounds in 4 months while still upholding a sedentary lifestyle!  Amazing!!!  I know!

Wolf proves the age-old mantra true... that through hard work and unwavering determination, one could will their daydreamt lifestyles into existence.  Manifest the truth in your heart.

This is Wolf's story.

AVANT - Once upon a time you were a suit. How was that?

Wolf - Very humbling. I find that I learn much more about myself through unpleasant experiences than through things I really enjoy. In that regard, my time spent in the accounting profession was very revealing.

I don't consider it a waste. It showed me that, while I do have a business sense, I also have a strong artistic side that needs to be satisfied. Perhaps if I went straight to pursuing photography, I'd not have tried as hard because I wouldn't have had the "suit" experience to show me that this is where I truly belong.

AVANT - You have a website. How many months was it in the making?

Wolf - I designed my first website, and it was good enough for awhile. As I began to make advances in my career and started to receive more and more web traffic, the need for a more professional site arose. That's what you see now, but it's always "in the making." A good site is never static. It has to always be fresh, showing that you're active and continuing to produce fresh work.

AVANT - Did you conceive of a logo yet for your company?

Wolf - No, not yet. Branding is important, but on the hierarchy of things I need to do right now, it's not too close to the top.

AVANT - How does it feel to be an aspiring entrepreneur as opposed to the drab & mundane activities of cubicle enslaved peasantry?

Wolf - It's very rewarding. I'm passionate about what I do, and so I'm happy to do all of the less glamorous activities that come along with running your own business. Sure, I'd love to just go out and shoot all day, but you also need to market, update social networks, constantly improve your craft, keep up with changing technology, etc. But, if through all of this, I get to do what I love, and people love the work I do, it's completely worth it.

AVANT - On your website, you have a 'Celebrity' gallery. How did you get your photo session with Paris Hilton? How was your experience?

Wolf - With those kinds of gigs, everybody always says "it's who you know" and it really is. They don't advertise that kind of work on craigslist. I have a good network of contacts, and that particular job came from one of those contacts.

The experience was great. It was a commercial shoot, and I spent the day on set documenting the process. Being on the other side of things is very interesting. You don't often realize that the 30 second spot you just saw advertising a pair of shoes actually had a crew of 100 people and took a few days to shoot and a few weeks to edit. It was a lot of fun to be a part of that process.

AVANT - What was your first camera when you first began to seek out your artistic endeavours? What camera + equipment do you use now? Elaborate & compare your newbie equipment to your final boss armory.

Wolf - I am very much a product of the digital age. Though I have a film camera that my father bought in the 70's, the first camera I purchased was a Canon S3 IS. I purchased it in preparation for my studies at Florence University of the Arts, in Florence, Italy. There, I studied photography and discovered my interest in it.

Now, I shoot on a Canon 5D Mark II. It's one of the best cameras for the type of work I do (weddings, events, working in low light situations). It's a pro camera, a big upgrade over the first camera I mentioned.

AVANT - What or Who was your first inspiration to get into photography?

Wolf - I feel like I should have a better answer for this, but I don't. I am inspired by photography, but not by photographers. I'll see a photograph and wonder how it was lit, what settings were used, what kind of post production was done, but I won't go further and research the photographer. I'm not sure why exactly that is, but that's always been my approach with all art. There's a strong disconnect between the art and the artist for me. It's almost as though the artist is just a vehicle for his art.

AVANT - Do you have any dream projects or plans interim?

Wolf - Dream projects? Lots of them. Most of them involve photographing people in some way. Unfortunately, it's a lot harder to take a photo of a stranger than to take a photo of a flower or a bird. But that's what get's me going the most. I could spend an entire day walking around the city trying to get candid shots of people.

One idea I had was to go somewhere, Union Square park, for example, and set up two chairs -- one for me, one for the subject -- and a sign that says "free portraits!" and just see who sits down. I wouldn't direct them at all. I would just tell them to be however you are at this moment. Look in the camera, look away, be a caricature of yourself, be timid, be goofy, be anything.

It wouldn't be a commercial endeavor. It would just be to do it.

AVANT - Describe what goes thru your mind when you take an ill picture. What do you look for? A pose, a setting,

particular lighting. Elaborate on your style. Every artist has to have a style, unless you are still in the process of discovering it?

Wolf - It's rarely a pose. My style is very momentary, ephemeral. Sometimes, light will dictate a shot, but most of the time (if it's people I'm shooting), I look for moments. I think that's where my eye is. I have the ability to anticipate moments, and I can capture them in a way that's at the same time intimate but not intrusive.

I'm always discovering more about myself and my style as I shoot, but I think that will always be at the core of my style.

AVANT - Your website is 100% digital-- if & when would you ever experiment with print? Cos I'm sure there are many clients who would be looking for that-- a more traditional old school approach.

Wolf - Yes, print is definitely something that I need to explore. Not necessarily film, but just providing prints in general. Digital keeps costs down for both me and my clients, but everybody likes to have something they can mount on a wall or put in a dresser drawer or a memory box.

AVANT - You know what they say, you can take the man from the suit but not the suit from the man. If all else fails, i.e. photography doesn't work out? Do you think you could ever go back to accounting?

Wolf - I had those thoughts for the first year that I was trying to make a career of this, but ultimately, they're counterproductive. I've spent my entire life preparing for the "what ifs," and while it is the safe play, sometimes, I think you need to just take a shot and deal with the fallout if and when it comes. Though I can't say that I've "made it" yet, I'm at a point where I feel confident in saying that I can make it, that I will make it. So I don't think about what I'll do if I don't.

But if I don't, no matter what I do, it won't be accounting.

THE SUIT WHO OVERTURNED HIS ARTIST LEAF.

Wolf's photography portfolio & contact can be found on his website:

http://www.jwolfphoto.com

Kimmie of The Lower East Side

Kimmie is a veteran in the absolute sense of the word. This introduction boasts no exaggeration & consider this a highly suggested forewarning that she is a definite individual, never to be taken lightly. She is a collective member and co-owner of Bluestockings-- an independent feminist bookstore located square in the heart of Manhattan's Lower East Side. The environment of Bluestockings is intensely charged with heightened political awareness & is no stranger to radical political activism. The volunteers & frequent loyal supporters of the store are notably impressive academic scholars (and smart-as-hell non academic scholars!) and well-versed in subjects of law, politics, comics, sex, sociology, anthropology, resistance, feminism, history & current events. It also doesn't hurt that the volunteers & community at Bluestockings are prevalently punk rock as hell-- also, the coffee (or hot cocoa!) and eclectic conversations to be had are all undeniably delicious. Bluestockings also offers a diverse variety of organic vegan snacks & beverage options to best satisfy your hunger & guaranteed refreshment.

AVANT - How did you wind up becoming the co-owner of a renowned L.E.S. NYC staple of a bookshop like Bluestockings?

Kimmie - I started off as a volunteer, fresh into Manhattan and completely miserable about it. I'm a Queens girl at heart, and I hated living in Manhattan until I discovered Bluestockings. Through my volunteer shift, a couple of internships, more responsibility, and lots of working for free, I was invited to join the worker's collective, which is a core group of folks that keeps the space running, and legally (and more boringly) "owns" the business side of things.

AVANT - What is a typical day like at Bluestockings? How about a typical Month? Do you hold book signings, political rallies, poetry nights, et cetera?

Kimmie - There is no typical day at Bluestockings. We have events nearly every night, from readings to presentations to film screenings. In honor of Valentine's Day this year, my darling friend Laura Duncan (http://lgduncan.tumblr.com) did a presentation on sex tech and robots.

In addition to our fantastic events, I feel blessed to meet people from around the world and around the corner, day in and day out. I feel like many people are standoffish in public not because they're too-cool-for-school, but because they're really shy and not great at breaking the ice (um, but not you, Ceasar). There's something magical about the space created at Bluestockings-- it's okay to talk to strangers and make friends, and to have discussions about books, and to find people to hang out with, trade mixtapes with, volunteer with.

On the more uninteresting-yet-necessary side of things, I hold a lot of responsibility as a collective member, so you'll often find me paying bills, scheduling volunteers, ordering books, fixing computers-- all that behind-the-scenes stuff that people don't necessarily think about when they step into the space.

AVANT - You guys sell coffee & stuff right. How about pastries? Basically-- what do you serve to eat + drink?

Kimmie - I make a stellarly badass cappuccino. We have a whole collection of loose-leaf tea, espresso drinks, coffee, sodas. In the summer, we make a killer mango ceylon iced tea. We also serve vegan snacks (cookies, cakey breads) and fair-trade and organic chocolate. Yum!

AVANT - What's your favorite thing about being co-owner of an establishment built upon pillars of defiance for aspiring revolutionaries?

Kimmie - My favorite thing is that we're not aspiring revolutionaries. We *are* revolutionaries. The collective model in this society is revolutionary in itself.

AVANT - How many hot girls & guys would you say walk in daily/weekly? How many would you date/potentially fuck?

Kimmie - Haha. Too many to count! I would date/potentially fuck very many hot guys & girls, if I wasn't too busy chattering about books and secretly being shy. That said, it's not unprecedented...

AVANT - What are your favorite books & authors that you'd recommend that Bluestockings sells?

Kimmie - Oh Jesus. Here goes a long answer to a short question. Well, as far as fiction goes, we carry most of my favorite novels: "Geek Love" by Katherine Dunn, a lot of Murakami, "The Almond" by Nedjma-- which is fantastic, dirty little novel. We also have an amazing Sex Work section, great Women's Studies titles, Poetry-- fuck it, just come visit. You just might be one of those hot people who walks in on a regular basis!

AVANT - Are dogs & pets allowed?

Kimmie - Um. Not by department of health standards, but...

AVANT - Now for the random questions... What's the name of your dog(s)? What kind of dog food do you feed him/her/them?

Kimmie - My dogfriend's name is Tuli Wooferberg. He's named after Tuli Kupferberg. It's a long story. Perhaps one day I'll tell you. Tuli Wooferberg eats some fancy limited-ingredient dry dog food. He's a sensitive boy. But I often let him lick my plate of spaghetti when I'm done with it.

AVANT - Do you love living in Manhattan? What's your favorite thing about living in the city?

Kimmie - I used to hate living in Manhattan. But that's when I lived in Midtown. I love my neighborhood though. The Lower East Side / East Village has a lot of things that remind me of Queens, but here everyone comes through to visit. I never have to leave because there's always a friend or future friend walking down the street, waiting to hang out or make that connection. That's probably my favorite part-- making connections with people. Manhattan can be very isolating, but you can also make friends from all over the world. I choose to smile at strangers. It helps when you are walking a cute dog.

AVANT - Do you still contribute to Suicide Girls? I think you used to do that, right? If not, I think you should.

Kimmie - I had a Suicide Girls membership for a hot second (ok, a couple of years). I've never been a "Suicide Girl." It's not my thing, really-- I'm much more interested in face-to-face interaction and performance-- I'm a student of the NY School of Burlesque (http://schoolofburlesque.com), which is absolutely amazing and humbling. The energy from being part of a room full of women-- who are just normal folks like you and me-- putting on pasties after just having met each other an hour ago is just reaffirming and inspiring!

AVANT - Do you still go to punk shows? What kind of bands do you listen to anymore?

Kimmie - I don't remember the last show I went to. It might have been Jonathan Coulton. Lately, I've been listening to a lot of 50s Honky Tonk, which is actually pretty fucking punk rock.

AVANT - Lastly, my bookmark is a cardboard cutout of Everlast's "How to put on handwraps" instructions. What do you use as book marks?

Kimmie - I have eight billion Bluestockings bookmarks, always at my disposal. So usually those. Sometimes receipts and MetroCards-- I'm always on the go, so whatever's handy in my purse sometimes just has to suffice!

For more information, visit Bluestockings' website!

http://bluestockings.com/

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Kimmie is a born & raised Queens borough native but currently resides somewhere along the east side on the isle of Manhattan. Kimmie's political views on her Facebook reads: 'pseudoanarchofeministcupcakecutie' & her religious views are listed with 'thirteen years of catholic school and all i learned was that catholic girls are mad dirty.'

Above & Below: Kimmie is an avid proud confessor of a dog lover & who doesn't love dog lovers!?